Dogon Bronze Female Figure Antique African Altar Fetish

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Dogon Bronze Female Figure Antique African Altar Fetish A Classic Dogon Bronze Female Altar Fetish, Encrusted LibationsAntique African Art - Prestige Object - Mali Collected from the: Dogon peoples of the Seno Plains in Mali, West Africa Material: Bronze, old lost wax casting of copper/tin alloy Period: Early 20th century, conservatively Dimensions: 5.5" height, 1.25" width, 1" depth; weight is 5.6 ounces or 156 grams Condition: Exceptional - no damage, good signs of wear, age and tribal useHeld in private collection since the late 1940's, the condition of this piece remains unchanged from the time of its original field acquisition. Gorgeous dark chocolate patina displays generous brassy highlights with liberal traces of verdigris, calcification and African soil that indicate previous burial. Please to fully appreciate this delightful old piece! And be sure to see the incredible AFRICAN BRONZES in our eBay store! Of Special Interest: "Rings and ornaments were worn by the Hogon. Such pieces were also placed, along with twisted iron bracelets and small figural sculptures, on a type of Dogon family altar called ginna ommolo , w they received regular sacrificial coatings of blood, millet porridge, and burned herbs mixed with shea butter . Women with health problems seek the assistance of the ancestors to whom these altars are dedicated, and they wear the rings and bracelets during the healing process and afterward. Not merely ornamental, Dogon altar fetishes can be viewed as a means of collecting and transmitting spiritual forces and of signifying the owner's ongoing relationship with the source of that power." See Art of the Dogon for further details. Tribal History The 300,000 Dogon inhabit approximately 700 villages in Mali, primarily along a 125 mile (200 kilometer) stretch of escarpment known as the Cliffs of Bandiagara. These sandstone cliffs run from southwest to northeast, roughly parallel to the Niger River, and attain heights up to 2000 feet 600 meters (2000 feet). Accounts of early Dogon history vary according to the specific Dogon clan and/or archaeological records consulted, with multiple versions of the Dogon origin myth as well as differing accounts of their migration from early ancestral homelands to the Bandiagara region. The people call themselves 'Dogon' or 'Dogom', but in the older literature they are most often called Habe , a Fulbe word meaning 'stranger' or 'pagan'. Certain theories suggest the tribe descended from an ancient Egyptian race that journeyed first to Libya, then on into regions of Guinea or Mauritania. Around 1490 AD, fleeing Mande invaders and/or drought, they migrated to eventually settle in the Bandiagara cliffs of central Mali. Legend has it that a snake led them to the cliffs at the southern end of the plateau, w they overwhelmed and usurped the local Tellem and Niongom populations. Carbon dating on remains excavated from the cliffs indicate the Toloy culture of the 3rd to 2nd centuries BC, and the Tellem culture of the 11th to 15th centuries AD inhabited the area long before the Dogon arrived. The influence of these earlier cultures continue to be noted in Dogon art to this day.Dogon livelihood is based on agriculture production concentrated in fields at the edge of the cliffs w water is scarce, but enough for occasional irrigation. Agricultural dependence has recently forced the Dogon to move away from their beloved cliffs onto the more fertile Bongo plains to maintain their agricultural production of millet, of vital importance to feeding the tribes. Onions, one of their only cash crops, are sold as far away as Cote d'Ivoire. Villagers are known to use bark ropes to scale the towering Bandiagara cliffs in search of pigeon guano and Tellem artifacts that are then sold to subsidize their meager existence. As the Dogon are both Muslims and Animists, their social and religious organizations are closely interlinked. A... read more

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